Panzer Grenadier Battles on November 21st:
Desert Rats #16 - The Panzers Pull Back Desert Rats #19 - The Panzers Return
Desert Rats #17 - The Tomb Of Sidi Rezegh Jungle Fighting #7 - Line Of Departure
Desert Rats #18 - A Pibroch's Skirl South Africa's War #5 - Irish Eyes
PG-HQ Library - Panzer Grenadier Hall > Scenarios > BaBu035
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Relief Attempt
Battle of the Bulge #35
(Attacker) Germany vs United States (Attacker)
Formations Involved
Germany 276th Volksgrenadier Division
Germany 986th Grenadier Regiment
United States 9th "Phantom" Armored Division
United States Army
Display
Balance:
Overall balance chart for BaBu035
Total
Side 1 3
Draw 1
Side 2 0
Overall Rating, 4 votes
5
4
3
2
1
2.5
Scenario Rank: --- of 940
Parent Game Battle of the Bulge
Historicity Historical
Date 1944-12-18
Start Time 05:45
Turn Count 26
Visibility Day
Counters 76
Net Morale 0
Net Initiative 0
Maps 2: 10, 9
Layout Dimensions 56 x 43 cm
22 x 17 in
Play Bounty 99
AAR Bounty 165
Total Plays 4
Total AARs 2
Battle Types
Urban Assault
Conditions
Off-board Artillery
Terrain Mods
Scenario Requirements & Playability
Battle of the Bulge Base Game
Introduction

Following the surrounding of Companies A, B, and C of 60th Armored Infantry Battalion, the commander of Combat Command Reserve of 9th Armored Division gathered what forces he had on the 17th and launched a relief attempt before dawn on the 18th.
Conclusion

The relief attempt quickly ran afoul of the panzerfausts and anti-tank guns of the 986th Grenadier Regiment and in short order lost seven tanks. The Germans did not launch a counterattack because the division commander had been relieved and the new CO had not had time to evaluate his new command. It would take a day to get the division moving.
Display Relevant AFV Rules
AFV Rules Pertaining to this Scenario's Order of Battle
  • Vulnerable to results on the Assault Combat Chart (7.25, 7.63, ACC), and may be attacked by Anti-Tank fire (11.2, DFT). Anti-Tank fire only affects the individual unit fired upon (7.62, 11.0).
  • AFV's are activated by tank leaders (3.2, 3.3, 5.42, 6.8). They may also be activated as part of an initial activating stack, but if activated in this way would need a tank leader in order to carry out combat movement.
  • AFV's do not block Direct Fire (10.1).
  • Full-strength AFV's with "armor efficiency" may make two anti-tank (AT) fire attacks per turn (either in their action segment or during opportunity fire) if they have AT fire values of 0 or more (11.2).
  • Each unit with an AT fire value of 2 or more may fire at targets at a distance of between 100% and 150% of its printed AT range. It does so at half its AT fire value. (11.3)
  • Efficient and non-efficient AFV's may conduct two opportunity fires per turn if using direct fire (7.44, 7.64). Units with both Direct and AT Fire values may use either type of fire in the same turn as their opportunity fire, but not both (7.22, 13.0). Units which can take opportunity fire twice per turn do not have to target the same unit both times (13.0).
  • Demoralized AFV's are not required to flee from units that do not have AT fire values (14.3).
  • Place a Wreck marker when an AFV is eliminated in a bridge or town hex (16.3).
  • AFV's do not benefit from Entrenchments (16.42).
  • AFV's may Dig In (16.2).
  • Open-top AFV's: Immune to M, M1 and M2 results on Direct and Bombardment Fire Tables, but DO take step losses from X and #X results (7.25, 7.41, 7.61, BT, DFT). If a "2X" or "3X" result is rolled, at least one of the step losses must be taken by an open-top AFV if present.
  • Closed-top AFV's: Immune to M, M1 and M2 results on Direct and Bombardment Fire Tables. Do not take step losses from Direct or Bombardment Fire. If X or #X result on Fire Table, make M morale check instead (7.25, 7.41, 7.61, BT, DFT).
  • Closed-top AFV's: Provide the +1 modifier on the Assault Table when combined with infantry. (Modifier only applies to Germans in all scenarios; Soviet Guards in scenarios taking place after 1942; Polish, US and Commonwealth in scenarios taking place after 1943.) (ACC)
  • Tank: all are closed-top and provide the +1 Assault bonus, when applicable
  • Tank Destroyer: do not provide the +1 Assault bonus, even if closed-top (SB)
  • Self-Propelled Artillery: do not provide the +1 Assault bonus, even if closed-top (SB)
  • Anti-Aircraft Weapon Carrier: apply a -1 modifier to an air attack if within three hexes of the targeted hex (15.14).
  • APC – Armored Personnel Carrier: These are Combat Units, but stack like Transports. They can transport personnel units or towed units. They are not counted as combat units for the +1 stacking modifier on the Direct Fire and Bombardment Tables (4.4). They may be activated by regular leaders and tank leaders (1.2, 3.34, 4.3, 5.43). They do not provide the +1 Assault bonus (ACC).
  • Armored Cars: These are Combat Units. They are motorized instead of mechanized. All have their own armored car leaders, who can only activate armored cars (6.85). Do not provide the +1 Assault bonus (ACC).
  • Reconnaissance Vehicle: 8.23 Special Spotting Powers Both foot and vehicle mounted recce units (1.2) possess two special spotting abilities. The first ability is that they can spot enemy in limiting terrain at one hex further than the TEC specifies for other units and leaders. For example, an enemy unit in town can normally be spotted at three hexes or less, but a recce unit can spot them at four hexes.Their second ability is that they can place a Spotted marker on any one enemy unit they can spot per turn, just as if the enemy unit had "blown its cover" by firing. Such Spotted markers are removed as described earlier.
Display Order of Battle
Germany Order of Battle
Heer
United States Order of Battle
Army
  • Motorized
Display Errata (3)
3 Errata Items
Overall balance chart for 20

The reduced direct fire value of the Heer HMG became 5-5 starting with Fall of France.

(plloyd1010 on 2015 Jul 31)
Overall balance chart for 63

The morale and combat modifiers of German Sergeant #1614 should be "0", not "8".

(Shad on 2010 Dec 15)
Overall balance chart for 25

The M18 has a special rule in Battle of the Bulge but it applies globally: "A two-step M18 unit can fire one anti-tank shot and move half its movement allowance (retain fractions) in a single impulse. The order in which it does these two actions is the player's choice."

(Shad on 2010 Dec 15)
Display AARs (2)
Brief Relief Attempt
Author dreierj
Method Solo
Victor Germany
Play Date 2018-12-21
Language English
Scenario BaBu035

The German 986th were dug in on the wooded ridge north of the US position. The US would need to break through these positions and exit to the north to earn a victory. The German need to deny the US incursion into their lines. Oddly, elements of the 9th Armored Division would not advance until a German approached. This seems unlikely to happen, unless the German is desperate and needed to earn a draw.

At 0600, the US discovered that the German had set up his AT guns in a way that left an opening for US armor to advance into the German right flank. When it became clear that the US armor was moving that way, the German shifted some platoons to the west to intercept those units. Within an hour, the forces made contact, and most US armor units were being assaulted.

By 0815, the German had eliminated 13 US steps, exceeding the nine required for victory. Two US units exited to the north, and another reduced platoon would likely make it soon. However, the US did not have enough mobile units left from Combat Command A to achieve their victory conditions. Since the Germans had achieved their victory, they were planning on remaining on the north ridge. They had no intention of moving south to stir up elements of the US 9th Armored Division staged east of the small town to the south. This was a quick German victory, and much like the historical outcome.
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Battle of the Bulge # 35
Author triangular_cube
Method Solo
Victor Draw
Play Date 2021-04-23
Language English
Scenario BaBu035

This is another example of a scenario from Battle of the Bulge that has significant structural issues.

It starts off as a major tease. The US player gets just about their entire toolbox of cool stuff to play with, but they are ultimately frozen on the south end of the map unless an unreasonable German player advances on them. Except for the M7s from the large group of 9th Armored, absolutely everything is irrelevant to the scenario.

This leaves the Americans with just CCA, which must break through the dug in Germans on board 9 and exit 9 units of the north edge. This force is of course composed of, you guessed it, 9 units.

This is entirely unreasonable, but they only have to force 3 units of the north edge while avoiding step losses to force a draw. This is the only reasonable thing that players can do here.

So really all that happened was the Americans set out forward observers to pound the German lines for around 20 turns while the Germans recovered and displaced to plug holes. Eventually a weak enough spot was opened for the Americans to exit 7 units off the map and force a draw.

There really isnt much to play out here. The final caveat though is that the US player must hide their mighty, frozen, armored force out of sight so that the German's cant slip in step losses via OBA on them.

This unfortunately is not the only scenario to earn a "1" from BotB. This one stings even more because it looks like a fun, albeit onesided affair from the OOBs. Instead it turned out to be a one sided staring contest with some artillery going back and forth.
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PG-HQ Library - Panzer Grenadier Hall > Scenarios > BaBu035
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